Analysis: In poetic fashion, WSU’s defensive depth shines in win over Oregon State, earning bowl eligibility in last chance

PULLMAN – Raam Stevenson’s face crept into a wry grin. He was sitting atop a podium, not far from the field where his Washington State team reached bowl eligibility with a 32-8 dismantling of Oregon State, and as a key cog in the Cougars’ defense, he could see where this question was going.

In Saturday night’s regular-season finale, WSU totaled seven tackles for loss and six sacks, burying OSU players behind the line of scrimmage with regularity. Here’s the interesting part about those numbers, though: Junior defensive end Isaac Terrell led the pack with 1.5 sacks, but the other 5.5 came on half-sacks from his teammates.

To Stevenson, that seemed to underscore the larger theme, the part that might help the Cougars’ defense turn in nights like these more often in the years to come: WSU defenders were surging into the backfield so often, and so easily, that not one could register a sack on his own. Everyone had to share the tackles because of what defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit calls the swarm.

“We just played our ball. It’s literally just that,” said Stevenson, whose Washington State team (6-6) will learn its bowl destination on Dec. 7. “Today was just a product of the work that we constantly put in throughout the weeks. I feel like today, we just emphasized that, as you can see by the stats and the sacks that we got. It’s the whole depth. Obviously, throughout the season, we’ve had a lot of bodies go down, but you put in those next guys up, and it’s no fall-off, man. And today, I really think they really displayed that.”

In coach Jimmy Rogers’ first year at the school, the Cougars earned a spot in a bowl for the ninth time in the last 10 full seasons for multiple reasons: They identified players to elevate into more prominent roles, from quarterback Zevi Eckhaus to running back Kirby Vorhees to Terrell, perhaps the team’s breakout star on defense this season. They took care of business at home, where they have played the kind of offense that Rogers hopes will become a regularity around this program.

But above all, WSU is headed to a bowl because the team’s defense came together the way Rogers hoped it would all season. The Cougars’ pass rush was overwhelming. They snagged two interceptions, one from cornerback Colby Humphrey and one from linebacker Caleb Francl, the latter of whom has played unbelievable football these last few weeks. And with the presence of veteran safeties Cale Reeder and Tucker Large – who got ejected in the final moments due to two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties – the Cougars’ pass defense bordered on impenetrable.

When the Cougars’ defense plays like that, dominating an overmatched offense or not, you can see Rogers’ vision coming to fruition: Big, athletic, physical defense making life hell on an opposing offense.

The undergirding to it all, though, is the depth. The Cougars have made that clear all year long, from a season-opening win over Idaho to a regular-season-closing win over Oregon State.

Not many teams could survive the barrage of injuries that have come the Cougars’ way. Starting defensive tackle Max Baloun went down with a season-ending knee injury on Sept. 20 in the Apple Cup. One of his backups, SMU transfer Mike Sandjo, has played only four games with an injury. Another backup, Kent State transfer Kaden Beatty, missed several games with his own injury – and in the final moments of Saturday’s game, he was seen with his foot in a boot, riding around on a scooter.

We could spend all night talking about the Cougars’ injuries – “never experienced this much in my life,” Rogers said with a laugh earlier this season – and the way they have still fielded one of the nation’s finest defenses. Perhaps we should.

Perhaps they deserve it. But as the book closes on Rogers’ debut season in the Palouse, what matters is the depth, and the development of the Cougars’ freshmen. That’s what could keep this ship headed in the right direction in the years ahead, especially once Washington State enters a more structured environment with the new Pac-12.

Several of those guys helped turn Saturday’s game. Freshman Sullivan Schlimgen has now started four straight games at middle linebacker, and on Saturday, he made coaches look wise to the tune of three tackles – two solo. Freshman defensive tackle Donovan Fitzmaurice registered a half-sack, his best play since earning a key QB pressure against Virginia, resulting in a punt. It doesn’t always feel right to call redshirt freshman cornerback Kenny Worthy a young guy, considering the playing time he’s earned all season, but he also carded a ½ tackle for loss against OSU.

So much about this system at WSU, under Rogers and Bobbit on defense, revolves around development. If a freshman can play, they will play them, and for evidence, look no further than the roles they’ve entrusted to Schlimgen, to redshirt freshman Anthony Palano, to Worthy, and so on.

Is that kind of system best suited for a team like WSU, in a year like 2025? Will the Cougars be able to hang on to these guys long enough to see them develop the way they look capable of? We’ll find out soon enough, when the transfer portal opens in early January.

What is transparent now is that Rogers seems to be building something distinct, something that players want to stay around.

Is that apparent on offense? Not so much. The Cougars looked better on that end in Saturday’s game, but to reach bigger heights in the years ahead, they’ll have to be more consistent on the road. But Rogers is a defensive guy at heart, and he’s constructing something promising in Pullman. In outings like this one, verging on a shutout to earn a spot in a bowl game, the Cougars make that abundantly clear.

“I feel like it’s a real emphasis on the young guys,” Stevenson said. “As the seniors are leaving, seeing those young guys make plays, it’s kinda like, we’re trusting them. Like, yeah, these guys are gonna be all right. They got some promise. We’re leaving, but like I said, it’s gonna be no fall-off. These guys are hungry. They’re ready.”